Fourth to gilbert t



W. J. MoTIGHE.

OAR COUPLING.

Patnted May 2, 1882.

imness s UNITED STATES PATENT .OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. MGTIGHE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO GILBERT T. RAFFERTY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 257,359, dated May 2, 1882.

Application filed March 6, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. MOTIGHE, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the followin g is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 shows the draw-head broken to illustrate the rotary coupler set to receive the bar of another car. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a draw-head about to couple to' that shown at Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows two coupled together. Fig. 4 is a front view of my improvement set for coupling. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of Fig. 4. y

This invention relates to car-couplings; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Primarily m yim provementconsists in a rotary block or coupler journaled in the draw-head and capable of being turned to different angles of revolution, at one angle constructed to receive and at another angle provided with a bar having an enlarged or ball head.' The ballended bar or nose of one coupler enters a cavity in the other, and the latter is then sufficiently rotated, being circumferential] y slotted to prevent the withdrawal of said nose unless the receiving-coupler be brought back to the first-mentioned position.

More particularly my invention is as follows:

A is the usual draw-bar of the car, to which I attach in any suitable way the draw-head B, which I prefer to make with the solid top a, as shown. The bottom is open. In the drawhead B, I journal a massive coupling-block, O. The block 0 has the heavyjournals 1) bearing in the sides of the draw-head B, and is pro vided with the nose-bar D, having the ball end 0, as shown.. The parts D 0 may be integral with the part 0, as shown, or made separate and attached in a suit-able manner. At a point about opposite diametrically in the block 0 from the bar D, I form a radial cavity or recess, d, of a diameter equal to or slightly larger than the ball 0 on bar I), having its inner end spheri cal and coincident with the axis of revolution of block (3. A circumferential slot, 6, is formed in the block 0, extending from the recess (1 around nearly to the base of bar D and opening into the central cavity formed at the end of recess d. The mouth of recess (1 is made divergent or bell-shaped, as shown at Fig. 5. One of the journals 1) extends out laterally through the draw-head B, and has attached to it the inner end of a coiled spring,f, whose outer end is attached by a pin or screw, 9, to the drawhead B. The springf is so adjusted as to normally hold the coupling-block O in the position shown by Fig. 2 -t'. 0., with the bar D projecting out horizontallyin front of the draw-headand it the block 0 be revolved, upon releasing it the springf will carry it back to the said normal position.

The block 0 has a pulley-face, h, formed on it, and in this, which may be properly sprocketed in casting, I place a chain, i, which may then be carried up through the top a. of the draw-headto a point at or near the top of the car and arranged with suitable device's,whereby the chain '6 may be operated to turn the block (3 in either direction. As these devices may be varied greatly, and are within the scope of ordinary mechanical skill, I do not particularly describe them. Suppose the cars to be coupled are represented by Figs. 1 and 2, and both are provided with m y coupling devices above described. The couplings of both cars are in the normal condition shown in Fig. 2 and the brakeman is on the car belonging to Fig. 1. By means of the chain i he rotates the couplingblock 0 until it is in the position shown in Fig. 1, having the mouth of recess (1 pointed toward the approaching car. \Vhen the latter comes far enough its bar D passesin the recess (1 until its head a is at the central part of the recess, when, the coupling-block (J, Fig. 1, being released, instantlyflies into the position shown at Fig. 3, where its preparatory posi- This locked potion is shown by dotted lines.

2 v esmse sition is obtained by the barD traveling around through the space of slot 0 until the ball 0 has solid metal abutments behind it to shoulder against and absolutelyprevent its withdrawal. In this position the coupling is in the condition of a ball-and-socket joint, and will permit of afree vertical oscillation; and by making the walls of slot e divergent, lateral play is freely allowed, so that the coupling thus effected so securely still has the requirement of complete flexibility. 'lo effect this rotation automatically for looking, I proceed as follows: I core out the bar D and ball 0 and place therein a small plunger, 7:, Figs. 4 and 5. In the drawhead B, I pivot the lever l, having the spur on fitting fre'ely into the end of the hole in theball 0, as shown. A retractile spring, s, is attached to lever I, so that when block 0 is brought around ball 0 pushes lever Z backward till spur m is in line with the plunger k, when the spring s forces the spur into the opening and restrains the block 0 from flying back to normal. Thisoperation pushes plunger k forward slightly,- so that its inner end projects into the recess 6?. When the ball 0 of the approaching car strikes into recess d it impinges against the plunger k and causes its end to force the spur in out of its socket, and the restraint being thus removed, the block 0 instantly revolves by the power of sprin g f and locks the ball c of the other car.

To uncouple, the brakeman has simply to operate the chain 2' and revolve that block which holds the head of the other block until it arrives at the position as in Fig. 1.- This action also sets the coupling-block ready for automatic lockin g again.

I do not confine the scope of my invention to the precise details herein described, as they may be greatly modified without departing from the essence of the invention.

Many different modes of revolvingthe coupling-blocks may be used instead of the chains above proposed. Likewise the lever Z and devices tor setting and releasing the blocks may be modified without altering the invention itself.

I claim as my. invention- 1. In a car-coupling, the rotary block 0, journaled on a horizontal axis, and having the recess 61 and slot e, in combination with suitable means for rotating said block, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupling, the rotary block 0, journaled on a horizontal axis, and having slot 0, opening into recess (1 and at a point about opposite the recess cl provided with ball-ended coupling-bar D, in combination with suitable means for rotating said block, substantiallyas described.

3. In a car-coupling, the rotary reversible block 0, provided at one side with the recess d and at the other side with ball-ended coupling-bar D, and having the slot 0, in combination with aspriug,f, and suitable means for looking or setting the block against the tension of said spring, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the draw-head B, block 0, having recess (1, slot 0, ballended bar D, and journals 1), and spring f, substai'itially as described.

5. The combination of draw-head B, rotary coupling-block G, and chain 1 substantially as described. I,

6. The combination ofdraw-h'cadB,couplingblock 0, journalcd therein, and having plunger 70, and spring-lever Z, having spur m, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses. v

' WILLIAM J. MCTIGHE.

Witnesses:

T. J. MGTIGHE, THOMAS S. OCoNNoR. 

